History Main / OnlyOneName

* In Western Finland, only noble and bourgeoisie families had surnames before the 19th century. Others used patronymes. In the Eastern Finland, however, surnames are a long tradition.

** The prequel story "DarthPlagueis" reveals that Palpatine goes solely by the family name because, while he takes pride in his heritage to one of the oldest and most powerful families of Naboo, he's disgusted by his immediate family (especially his father) to not want any association with ''them'', specifically the name they gave him.

* [[KagihimeMonogatari Delilah and Liddell]]

* ''MrBean'': The title character is never given a first name, perhaps because it is heavily implied by the opening credits that he is an alien. The spin - off book ''Mr Bean's Diary'' contains an old school report of his, but his first name is obscured by an ink blot on the page.

* ''WhatNotToWear'': Carmindy, the makeup expert.

* "[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank Ratchet]]". And that's it. Sort-of-justified by him [[ParentalAbandonment not knowing his real parents]]. Or would that be "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Everyone Calls Him Ratchet]]" instead? "Clank" is also an example, it was even made up on-screen.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'', Sai has no family name, since even his given name is nothing more than an alias, while Team 7's temporary leader after the TimeSkip is only known by his codenames "Yamato" and "Tenzo". [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Gaara]] and his siblings [[FacialMarkings Kankuro]] and [[PaperFanOfDoom Temari]] don't seen to have surnames either; some people use "of the Sand" like a surname (though that's really just an epithet which applies solely to Gaara), or just call them [[FanNickname the Sand Siblings]].

** In one episode where we see Chris's drivers liscense it reveals that his last name is Pearson after Chris Pearson, one of the Shows creators, we can assume Elise took Chris's last name when he married her.

* The title character of ''EurekaSeven''. In AlternateUniverse [[TheMovie Movie]] one screen says her last name (which she probably had as she spent a good part of her life among the general populace) is "Zita".

* Most of the characters in ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' only have one name.

** [[ExtremeDoormat Stacy]] is never given a last name, though WordOfGod says it's Rowe. [[{{Goth}} Andrea]] never got one either, but she's a fairly minor character. {{Fanon}} tends to go with [[TheOmen Thorne]], [[DarknessVonGothickname Hecuba]] or [[TakeAThirdOption Thorne-Hecuba]].

* Jack from ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}'' has no last name, unlike leading ladies Mulberry Sharona and Taffy Sparks.

* ''Series/{{Revolution}}'': The following non-exhaustive list of characters in season 1 have only one name: Jimmy, Billings, Cutrone, Fletcher, Graves, [=McCoy=], Reed, Ryan, Simpson, Templeton, Nicholas, Albert, Ashley, Rose, Rosie, Sam, Trevor (two characters with that name), [=McCready=], Drexel, Audrey, Beth, Boggs, Brian, Caleb, Carl, Davis, Duane, George, Jack, Jacob, Lily, Michael, Peter, Rob, Rudy, Sean, Skip, Sonia, Spencer, Steve (two characters with that name), and Vidal. Most of them are minor one-shot characters, but a couple of them are recurring characters.

** André in ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' may well be an Expy of Erik. Despite being an important supporting character, his surname is never revealed.

* ''MassEffect'' averts this with everyone except for Legion and ([[spoiler:until he joins Clan Urdnot]]) Grunt. Then again, except for Ashley, Kaidan, and a few formal situations involving Tali, almost nobody's last name is ever mentioned.
** In ''MassEffect'', ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', and ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', due to limitations on the system the player character is only ever referred to by his/her last name (Shepard and Hawke, respectively).

* Almost none of the characters from ''WebComic/SluggyFreelance'' have last names (they probably do, but they have never been stated). Torg is known as The Lastnameless One during the ''HarryPotter'' parody arcs. He does actually have a last name, although it's not revealed; the "Lastnameless" thing is there to help hide the fact that [[EmergencyImpersonation he's not who everyone thinks he is]].

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** Klingons may also have a {{patronymic}} ("Worf, son of Mogh") and a House name ("Worf of the House of Mogh", later the House of Martok), but do not have true last names. Vulcans might be the same, depending on which set of contradictory evidence you prefer.
** Then there's Chakotay.
** We also have Data. And Odo. And Laas.
*** By rights, Data could've been Data Soong, but chose not to do it.
** And Neelix. And Kes.
** Trill symbionts have only one name, and hosts use it as a surname when joined, dropping the family name. Thus, Ezri Tigan became Ezri Dax when joined with the Dax symbiont.
** ''Deep Space Nine's'' Dukat never got a first name in the series. {{Fanon}} based on novels gave it as "Skrain." Other Cardassian characters got full names, like Elim Garak, Enabran Tain and Tora Ziyal (though Ziyal's is Bajoran-style, rather than being "Ziyal Dukat", for [[ChildOfRape a good reason]]).
** One episode of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' claims Spock's last name cannot be pronounced by humans, but others seem to indicate he has [[OnlyOneName no last name at all]]. Diane Duane's ''Spock's World'' speculates that Vulcans use patronymics, so Spock's full name, according to her, is "Spock cha'Sarek".
*** Actually, the name that couldn't be pronounced was merely called "another name" in one episode and "the Vulcan name" (implicitly the family name) in another. Since not all cultures put the family name last or even have family names in the Western sense, we don't know if Spock's unpronounceable name is his first or last name. Continuity editor D.C. Fontana decided that this other name was "XTMPRSQZNTWLFB". Linguist fanfic author Dorothy Jones actually worked out a pronunciation and etymology for that sucker.
** Similarly, Sulu's first name was not given in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' canon until the 6th movie in the series. The name Hikaru actually came from one of the first published novels, ''The Entropy Effect''.
** Uhura's first name was unrevealed for a while, although the novels consistently use "Nyota" (Swahili for "star"), coined by pro SF author William Rotsler. The new movie confirmed this.
** On ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', O'Brien didn't get a last name until his third appearance, and didn't get a first (and middle) name, Miles Edward, until three years after his first appearance. He's an AscendedExtra, so it's excusable.
** The Vorta, none of whom have family names. Understandable, as they don't have families, but they do each get a number tacked on to their name, so that's something.
** None of the named Romulans (e.g. Sela, Donatra, Tel'Aura, Tomalak) appears to have a last name. Given that they're an offshoot of Vulcans, this may be justified. However, at least one non-canon novel has a character refer to a Romulan by name. Specifically, Captain John Harriman (the inept captain of the ''Enterprise''-B, whom the book turned into a {{Badass}}) purposefully calls Admiral Vokar by his first name Aventeer, knowing the latter would perceive it as an insult.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'':
** Teal'c. For that matter, most of SG-1's aliens do not have family names.
** However, this is averted in ''Series/StargateAtlantis,'' where most aliens, including regulars Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex, do have first and last names. This raises an interesting question: how is it that Earth alone uses a naming system unheard of in the Milky Way galaxy but commonplace in the Pegasus Galaxy?
*** Well, the majority of the humans in the Milky Way were ruled, and thus had their cultures influenced by, the Goa'uld, whereas the Pegasus Galaxy and post-Goa'uld Earth were more influenced by the Ancients. That could be one way of hand waving the entire problem.
*** Except most Ancients in the show don't have last names, either.
*** A lot do. The first one SG-1 meets is Oma Desala. The first one the Atlantis team meets is Chaya Sar. The one SG-1 meets ''in'' Atlantis is Ganos Lal, aka Morgan le Fay.
** The Jaffa sometimes tack place of origin (or current affiliation, in the case of "Teal'c of the Tau'ri") onto another Jaffa's name (and sometimes that of a human) as if this constituted a type of full name in their culture.

* ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': All the main characters have full names except for Mac. For seven seasons, it was not known whether Mac is a first name, last name, or a nick name, and his mother is often addressed as "Mrs. Mac" to keep the gag running. The season seven finale eventually revealed his name to be [[spoiler:Ronald [=McDonald=]]].

* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'':
** Most alien-but-still-human-ish Power Rangers, such as Andros and Karone, or Maya. ''Time Force'''s resident alien, Trip, has a very popular {{Fanon}} last name purported to come from scripts or casting sheets, but unlike other such surnames (e.g., Billy Cranston, Katie Walker), it wasn't included on Disney's official website.
** Speaking of Billy Cranston and Katie Walker, it is ''very'' common for Rangers to be known only by first names, and some Rangers' last names are only known by WordOfGod in the form of network websites (that are often ''wrong'' about things like last names, ages, and dates when we finally do get them - even Cranston and Walker come from the same source as Sky Blake and Jack and Z Manners [[note]]''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' takes place in 2025 and it's Sky Tate, Jack Landors, and Elizabeth "Z" Delgado. Jack and Z aren't even the same ethnicity. Network and toy-company sites often work with first-draft information.[[/note]]) Of the original Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers, we didn't get "Zack Taylor" and "Trini Kwan" until the ''day of their departure,'' and had heard "Jason Lee Scott" ''once'' before. Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart, the first last names we get, are heard a mere ''54'' episodes into the original series! And again, though his tenure lasted 202 episodes, we never heard Billy's. Last names weren't deliberately avoided, just... if nobody had a good reason to speak it (martial arts tournament, TV appearance, etc.) it didn't get spoken.

* ''GilligansIsland'': The title character during its run. After the show was cancelled, WordOfGod revealed that his first name was Willy.

* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'':
** Parker is the only character who isn't given a first name, even in her official character bio. This does make sense in the canon, however - she ran away from home (or something) and spent most of her childhood in and out of foster homes. It's implied that she eventually just ran away and became a thief, and that she doesn't need a full name because she lives off the grid.
** May be a shout-out to the title character in Richard Stark's ''{{Parker}}'' crime novels, who also is a thief and also has just the one name.
* ''{{Blackadder}}'': Baldrick is only known by this name, regardless of which incarnation he is. However, Baldrick speculates in the third series that his first name may be 'Sodoff' and in the fourth season was known as Private S. Baldrick.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** Kendra tells Giles that she "has no last name" in the second episode she appears in. However, this has become a SubvertedTrope as [[WordOfGod Joss Whedon]] has subsequently revealed, outside of the series, that her surname is actually Young - which she didn't know as she was raised by her Watcher.
** Other BuffyVerse characters with no last names include Faith, Spike, and Angel. Spike was revealed to be a self-given alias, his first name being William, and Faith was revealed to have the last name of Lehane [[WordOfGod by Joss Whedon]] when the makers of the official spin-off RPG asked. Angel turned out to have a different first name (Liam, which is an Irish version of "William"), but no last was ever given. Spike's human surname, according to ExpandedUniverse, is Pratt.
** Buffyverse Vampires, some of whom take or are given new names are fond of this trope, including aforemention Angel and Spike, as well as Drusilla, Penn, Luke, and Dracula.
** None of the Potential Slayers are given a last name, not even Kennedy.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
** The eponymous character usually goes simply by Angel. When he's evil he tends to go with the variant Angelus. Either way, it's only one name. His original human name was Liam, surname never mentioned.
-->'''Kate Lockley:''' Well, see, the thing about detectives is they have resumes and business licenses and last names. Pop stars and Popes, those are the one-name guys.
-->'''Angel:''' You got me. I'm a pope.
** In Season 3, the Angel Investigations staff at one points needs to write down a full name for him on a government document, so they improvise "Geraldo Angel."
** Spoofed when Angel starts making out with Eve, despite Angel's protests that he doesn't even know her full name.
-->'''Angel:''' I mean, do you even have a last name?\\
'''Eve:''' Do you?
* ''KidsIncorporated'': Almost no one on this show has a last name, sometimes awkwardly so, such as in "The Hero" where Devyn is introduced on an interview show by her first name, with an audible pause because the interviewer's rhythm was thrown off by the lack of a last name. On several occasions, particularly in dream sequences, a character will give an obviously fake last name (Ryan Lambert once uses "Ryan Ryan", and once "Ryan von Ryan"). Since most characters were TheDanza, it may be implicit that they have the same surnames as their actors, though this wouldn't work for, say, Renee Sands and Stacy Ferguson, whose characters were siblings.
* ''TheNanny'': Niles, the butler from , even puts a LampshadeHanging on this at one point:
-->'''Fran''': Say, what ''is'' your last name?
-->'''Niles''': It's just Niles. Like Cher.

* Series/{{Columbo}}:
** Lt. Columbo (No first name).
** Same for Mrs. Columbo.
*** Not exactly true: Kate Mulgrew's series ''Mrs. Columbo'' became ''Kate Columbo'', then ''Kate the Detective'' and then ''Kate Loves a Mystery'' before it became [[{{Cancellation}} Kate Doesn't Detect Here Anymore]].
**** And then Lt. Columbo said that ''that'' woman was an impostor...so we re-iterate, same for Mrs. Columbo.
** His ID card identified him as Frank Columbo, but that was only onscreen for a few seconds and reportedly isn't canon.
*** A trivia encyclopedia gave his first name as Philip, but this turned out to be a copyright trap - as the creators of ''Trivial Pursuit'' discovered when the book's author sued them for plagiarism. (He won, but the decision was reversed on appeal.)
* ''MissionImpossible'': Paris. Amusingly Paris was played by Leonard Nimoy, famous for playing the above single named character. Paris had occasion to say, "He's dead, Jim."
* ''InspectorMorse'':
** In the television version. The source novels provided only an initial, E. Name eventually revealed as 'Endeavour'.
** In his university days, he was nicknamed "Pagan", because he wouldn't give his Christian name.
* ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'': The family's last name is never given -- almost. In the pilot episode, the name tag on Francis' military school uniform read "Wilkerson." The decision not to reveal the family's last name was made during production of the pilot, but apparently they missed Francis' name tag. However, the series finale provides a different last name for the family. During Malcolm's graduation ceremony, Francis drops an employee ID card, the last name on which reads "Nolastname". It was also a joke amongst those who worked on the show that the family's last name WAS "Nolastname".
* ''ThePretender'':
** Jarod, the lead character, adopts a different surname each episode. Initially, this is because he doesn't know his real surname, but even after he locates and spends time with his father, his real surname is never revealed. (This sometimes causes dialogue clunkiness, not so much with Jarod as with his father, who is referred to as "Major Charles" always, by everyone, in all contexts.)
** Then there's Miss Parker, who is never given a name. Fan speculation has given us the possibility of "Angel", her father's nickname for her, being her actual name.
** Sydney and Lyle, who only go by their first names, and Broots, who only goes by his last name.
** In fact, almost all of the major characters in ''ThePretender'' go by one name only, the one exception being Mr. Raines, who eventually turned out to be a William. Several of these characters go to remarkable lengths to keep their names secret -- CorruptCorporateExecutive Mr. Parker, for instance, somehow managed to persuade the celebrant of his on-screen wedding to leave his full name out of the vows (as did [[{{Quincy}} Quincy]] and the Kid (from ''TheYoungRiders'') in their wedding episodes) -- leading some to suspect that the writers themselves don't actually know what their names are.
* ''Series/VengeanceUnlimited'': Mr. Chapel's first name is never revealed. Though the likelihood of Chapel itself being a pseudonym is rather high in this regard.
* ''GreenWing'': Never reveals the first names of Dr. [=MacCartney=] or Boyce.
* ''MrBean'': The title character is never given a first name, perhaps because it is heavily implied by the opening credits that he is an alien. The spin - off book ''Mr Bean's Diary'' contains an old school report of his, but his first name is obscured by an ink blot on the page.

* ''{{Friends}}'':
** In one episode, Rachel can't remember the name of her last boyfriend, Joshua, after pretending it had been a "deep and meaningful relationship". She therefore says that he had only one name, like Moses.
** The name of the boyfriend whose last name she couldn't remember was actually ''Tag''. He must be feeling pretty good about himself right about now...

* ''{{Entourage}}'': Ari Gold's wife has no first name. She is simply referred to as Mrs. Ari (not even Mrs. Gold), despite more and more screentime each season. WordOfGod says she'll never get a first name, but fan speculation says its something like Deena or Dina, based on a muffled introduction at a bat mitzvah in the first season.
* ''HumanTarget'':
** Winston and Guerrero are usually only ever called by their last names. Eventually we find out why Winston keeps his first name under wraps: it's Laverne. We never get one for Guerrero, but it's highly unlikely that Guerrero is his real last name.
** Guerrero's name alone is enough to get most people to crap their pants. This happens to a thief he captures in one episode. Before he can even start the "interrogation", his name is mentioned, and you can see her visibly deflate and lose all bravado.
* ''Series/BurnNotice'': Most of the people Michael Westen crosses swords with. Most of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek job of the week villains]] will not be given more than one name, while many others will be given full names in passing which are never referenced again. All of the MythArc villains tend to go by singular names that are most likely pseudonyms (for example, Carla, Victor, and Simon).
* ''{{Vintergatan}}'': The protagonists usually only had one name...then it becomes an AvertedTrope with the second season, when they got last names too.

* ''{{Glee}}'': Brittany in the first season. Her last name doesn't even show up on the school yearbook. However, in the episode "Britney/Brittany" from the second season she reveals that her name is Brittany [[spoiler: S. Pierce]].
* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
** Some aliens, notably Minbari and Narns, go by only one name, whereas others, notably Centauri, go by two.
** Although the Narns have only one name, it actually consists of two halves divided by an apostrophe. For instance, main character Na'Toth is the daughter of Shak'Toth.
*** And it is stated in one episode that Narns have a single name at birth, and the apostrophed appendage (actually prefix) is added when they have chosen which religious figure they will be devoted to spiritually: "G'" denotes a devotee to G'Quan (which G'Kar was), for instance.
** The three techno-mages that are officially named in the series and its spin-off series ''Series/{{Crusade}}'' are Elric, Galen, and Alwyn respectively. Although all three have Human origins, none of them have a last name.
* ''NewsRadio'': Beth claims not to have a last name.
* ''Series/BlakesSeven'': Cally is never known by anything else -- as far as we know, no Aurons have more than one name.
* ''DeadLikeMe'': Mason has no known ''other'' name, and the name that he does have could really be either his first or last name. Kiffany doesn't have a last name, but since she has a lot less screen time than Mason, it's slightly less odd.
* ''Series/YoungBlades'': Siroc. It's unclear whether this is a first or last name.

* ''{{Quincy}}'': Like Columbo, this title character never had his first name revealed (not even by his wife!).
* ''TheBigBangTheory'': Penny seems doomed to go through life without a surname.
* ''AccordingToJim'': Unlike ''Malcolm In The Middle'', the family on this show successfully avoids having any surname at all from first show to last (although Jim's sister-in-law does have one - Gibson).
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': Has Carl, the owner of [[LocalHangout MacLaren's]], who is upset upon finding out that Marshall didn't know his last name (neither does the audience).

* No one in the original ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Classic}}'' had a last name. (This has changed in the [[Series/BattlestarGalacticaReimagined reimagined version]]; many of the original pilots' names are now the callsigns of their revised counterparts, and "Adama" has become a family name.)
* Klingons in ''Franchise/StarTrek'' may also have a {{patronymic}} ("Worf, son of Mogh") and a House name ("Worf of the House of Mogh", later the House of Martok), but do not have true last names. Vulcans might be the same, depending on which set of contradictory evidence you prefer.

* Teal'c in ''Series/StargateSG1''. For that matter, most of SG-1's aliens do not have family names.

* The main character on ''DarkAngel'' was named Max, with no last name (she did use the last name Guevara on occasion, but she made this up). Her fellow X5s (Zack, Alec, Ben, etc) also had only one name, as did the dogboy Joshua. Alec's fake surname was supposedly [=McDowell=], but it was never spoken aloud.
* All the main characters on ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' have full names except for Mac. For seven seasons, it was not known whether Mac is a first name, last name, or a nick name, and his mother is often addressed as "Mrs. Mac" to keep the gag running. The season seven finale eventually revealed his name to be [[spoiler:Ronald [=McDonald=]]].

* Most alien-but-still-human-ish ''Franchise/PowerRangers'', such as Andros and Karone, or Maya. ''Time Force'''s resident alien, Trip, has a very popular {{Fanon}} last name purported to come from scripts or casting sheets, but unlike other such surnames (e.g., Billy Cranston, Katie Walker), it wasn't included on Disney's official website.

* Wilson W. Wilson Jr. from ''HomeImprovement''. He's called by OnlyOneName, because that ''is'' his only name - [[RepetitiveName first, middle and last]].
* James Ford on ''Series/{{Lost}}'' goes by the alias Sawyer. It's never clearly stated if Sawyer is his fake first name or fake last name.

* The title character from ''GilligansIsland'' during its run. After the show was cancelled, WordOfGod revealed that his first name was Willy.
* Purdey from ''Series/TheNewAvengers''.
* Ned from ''PushingDaisies'' doesn't seem to have a last name. Neither of the people related to him seem to, either, in contrast with the narrator's habit of referring to everyone by their full names. It's not even clear what 'Ned' is an abbreviation of. Most likely it's Edward, but it could also be Edmond, Edgar or even [[ASongOfIceAndFire Eddard]].
** Or it could just be ''"Ned"''....
* Parker, in ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', is the only character who isn't given a first name, even in her official character bio. This does make sense in the canon, however - she ran away from home (or something) and spent most of her childhood in and out of foster homes. It's implied that she eventually just ran away and became a thief, and that she doesn't need a full name because she lives off the grid.

* Baldrick in ''{{Blackadder}}'' is only known by this name, regardless of which incarnation he is. However, Baldrick speculates in the third series that his first name may be 'Sodoff' and in the fourth season was known as Private S. Baldrick.
* Kendra of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' tells Giles that she "has no last name" in the second episode she appears in. However, this has been subverted as [[WordOfGod Joss Whedon]] has subsequently revealed, outside of the series, that her surname is actually Young - which she didn't know as she was raised by her Watcher.

* The eponymous character of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' usually goes simply by Angel. When he's evil he tends to go with the variant Angelus. Either way, it's only one name. His original human name was Liam, surname never mentioned.

* Niles, the butler from ''TheNanny'', even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this at one point:

* Cromartie in ''TheSarahConnorChronicles'' is one of these. They even lampshade it ''in his very first scene''.

* On ''{{Seinfeld}}'', Newman's first name is never mentioned at all, even on his [[http://www.stanthecaddy.com/images/the-package1.jpg business card]]. And for a long time Kramer was this, until the episode revealing his first name is Cosmo.
* Lt. Series/{{Columbo}} (No first name)

* Paris on ''MissionImpossible''. Amusingly Paris was played by Leonard Nimoy, famous for playing the above single named character.
** Paris had occasion to say, "He's dead, Jim."
* ''InspectorMorse'' in the television version. The source novels provided only an initial, E. Name eventually revealed as 'Endeavour'.

* The family's last name is never given on ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'' -- almost. In the pilot episode, the name tag on Francis' military school uniform read "Wilkerson." The decision not to reveal the family's last name was made during production of the pilot, but apparently they missed Francis' name tag. However, the series finale provides a different last name for the family. During Malcolm's graduation ceremony, Francis drops an employee ID card, the last name on which reads "Nolastname". It was also a joke amongst those who worked on the show that the family's last name WAS "Nolastname".
* Jarod, the lead character of ''ThePretender'', adopts a different surname each episode. Initially, this is because he doesn't know his real surname, but even after he locates and spends time with his father, his real surname is never revealed. (This sometimes causes dialogue clunkiness, not so much with Jarod as with his father, who is referred to as "Major Charles" always, by everyone, in all contexts.)

* Mr. Chapel's first name is never revealed in ''Series/VengeanceUnlimited''. Though the likelihood of Chapel itself being a pseudonym is rather high in this regard.
* ''GreenWing'' never reveals the first names of Dr. [=MacCartney=] or Boyce.
* The title character of ''MrBean'' is never given a first name, perhaps because it is heavily implied by the opening credits that he is an alien. The spin - off book ''Mr Bean's Diary'' contains an old school report of his, but his first name is obscured by an ink blot on the page.
* Harris in ''{{Sharpe}}'' is never given a first name. This is Lampshaded in ''Sharpe's Waterloo'' - Hagman, who has served with him for years and presumably knows him very well, asks "So what ''is'' your first name?"
* In a ''{{Friends}}'' episode, Rachel can't remember the name of her last boyfriend, Joshua, after pretending it had been a "deep and meaningful relationship". She therefore says that he had only one name, like Moses.

* None of the characters outside of the Lahey family in ''Trailer Park Boys'' have surnames (and Bubbles is never even given a proper first name, "Bubbles" is explicitly stated to be a nickname). This gets comical when the main characters go arrested or go to court and the cops and judges only call them Julian or Ricky.
* On ''{{Entourage}}'', Ari Gold's wife has no first name. She is simply referred to as Mrs. Ari (not even Mrs. Gold), despite more and more screentime each season. WordOfGod says she'll never get a first name, but fan speculation says its something like Deena or Dina, based on a muffled introduction at a bat mitzvah in the first season.
* On ''HumanTarget'', Winston and Guerrero are usually only ever called by their last names. Eventually we find out why Winston keeps his first name under wraps: it's Laverne. We never get one for Guerrero, but it's highly unlikely that Guerrero is his real last name.

* Most of the people Michael Westen crosses swords with on ''Series/BurnNotice''. Most of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek job of the week villains]] will not be given more than one name, while many others will be given full names in passing which are never referenced again. All of the MythArc villains tend to go by singular names that are most likely pseudonyms (for example, Carla, Victor, and Simon).
* The protagonists of ''{{Vintergatan}}'' usually only had one name...then averted with the second season, when they got last names too.
* The Visitors in ''{{V}}'' (both [[{{V}} old]] and [[{{V-2009}} new series]]) go only by a first name.
* Brittany in the first season of ''{{Glee}}''. Her last name doesn't even show up on the school yearbook. However, in the episode "Britney/Brittany" from the second season she reveals that her name is Brittany [[spoiler: S. Pierce]].
* Some aliens in ''Series/BabylonFive'', notably Minbari and Narns, go by only one name, whereas others, notably Centauri, go by two.

* Beth on ''NewsRadio'' claims not to have a last name.
* Cally of ''Series/BlakesSeven'' is never known by anything else -- as far as we know, no Aurons have more than one name.
* Mason, from ''DeadLikeMe'', has no known ''other'' name, and the name that he does have could really be either his first or last name. Kiffany doesn't have a last name, but since she has a lot less screen time than Mason, it's slightly less odd.
* Siroc in ''Series/YoungBlades''. It's unclear whether this is a first or last name.
* Vince and Lauren from ''WhatILikeAboutYou'' are the only main characters to not have their last names ever mentioned in any of the show's 4 seasons.
** Recurring characters Peter and Rick don't appear to have last names either.
* Like Columbo, ''{{Quincy}}'' never had his first name revealed (not even by his wife!).
* Penny from ''TheBigBangTheory'' seems doomed to go through life without a surname.
* Unlike ''Malcolm In The Middle'', the family on ''AccordingToJim'' successfully avoids having any surname at all from first show to last (although Jim's sister-in-law does have one - Gibson).
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' has Carl, the owner of [[LocalHangout MacLaren's]], who is upset upon finding out that Marshall didn't know his last name (neither does the audience).

** The three techno-mages that are officially named in the series and its spin-off series "{{Crusade}}" are Elric, Galen, and Alwyn respectively. Although all three have Human origins, none of them have a last name.

** The three techno-mages that are officially named in the series and its spin-off series "Series/Crusade" are Elric, Galen, and Alwyn respectively. Although all three have Human origins, none of them have a last name.